Fool of Everyone
by Spice of Life
Summary: Hermione and Ron are the only ones who don't know.


It's just such a beautiful song; really…I had to do something with it! I do not own "Fool of Everyone" by Jett; I am only spreading its wondrosity and kick-ass lyrics to the world. I'm not stealing the song; I am not making money off of this. Got it? Gooood.

First, I just must say…Ashley is a crack whore. But I love her, I really do. And although that has absolutely positively nothing to do with this fic…neither does purkey nor tudding, but I'm still saying it, aren't I? So there. Mwahaha.

Okay, anyway….yeah, I don't own Harry Potter :Cries: I wish I did, I really do…then again, maybe I don't, 'cuz god knows, one day I'd be PM'sing and kill off all the characters…JKR, please, please don't succumb to write on the days that your womanly hood is tempting to make you a murderous raving lunatic. I don't own Jetts, as previously said, but I figured I'd say it again, just for the hell of it.

Time to write! WHOOO! …Okay, I sound like my math teacher when she's handing out math tests….that is never a good sign….then again, neither is screaming "PEN-IS!" at the top of your lungs during lunch either, but…

Yes, well…

Sorry if it's a bit fluffy. I can't help it, really…

_Take my photo off the wall  
If it just won't sing for you  
'Cause all that's left has gone away  
And there's nothing there for you to prove_

Hermione sighed, running fingers idly through her frizzy brown hair. The picture she had been holding slowly floated out of her grasp to lie on the floor, but she did not bother to retrieve it.

Three smiling faces shown up at her, and she stifled a bout of timid laughter as the picture Ron stuck his tongue out at the picture Harry, who was giving him bunny ears. The picture Hermione was scolding them both, so it seemed. The real Hermione slumped backward onto her bed, emitting another drawn out sigh.

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown were both out somewhere fawning over Firenze, so the Girl's Dorm was empty except for herself. The thought made her redden slightly, she did not know what she would do if she had burst into tears in front of the other girls like this. She shivered, and wrapped her blanket around herself tighter.

'_Look at me…'_ She thought, _'Falling all to pieces over something as trivial as this…'_, but she knew it wasn't trivial. It was a big deal, and she knew it. But _why_ it was a big deal, she just couldn't place. She had wracked her brain, analyzed every detail of the problem, and still had not come to a conclusion that suited her. Granted, there had been one option that had come to her so obviously at first…but she had knocked that conclusion off it's horse so fast she wondered if she should have maybe paid closer attention to it.

'_And I'm supposed to be so clever…'_She thought to herself, '_If I was I would have figured this out by now.'_ She looked back to the floor, where the Picture Ron and Picture Hermione now had their backs to each other, arms crossed and faces sullen. The Picture Harry had a very sad look on his face, and was watching the two warily. Hermione sighed, and closed her eyes, hoping to fall quickly asleep.

_Oh, look what you've done  
You've made a fool of everyone  
Oh well, it seems like such fun  
Until you lose what you had won_

Ron put his quill down, letting his head fall to the table on top of his potions essay with a dull thump.

"Alright there, mate?" He heard Harry ask him, and he lifted his head. Harry laughed as he fumbled to get the paper sticking to his forehead off without smudging the ink.

"I'm fine." Ron said curtly, standing up and pushing in his chair. "I'm going back to the Common Room, okay?" Harry nodded his head, and bent back over, continuing his essay.

Ron made his way out of the library with his head down, staring at his shoes. He was trying to block anything out of his mind but the thoughts of his potions essay, which was due tomorrow—two rolls of parchment on how to use mandrake leaf oil in healing potions—and for once, he did not have Hermione to copy off of.

He dropped in a cushy crimson chair in front of the fireplace, and kicked his feet up over the edge, his long limbs dangling off the side. Hermione. _'Of course, it all just comes back to her, doesn't it?'_ He thought to himself. He didn't know why she got all huffy and in a rut over what he had said, it wasn't as if they hadn't had a row before. _'Honestly, I'll never understand girls.'_

He looked at his hands, rubbing at his calloused fingers. He had Quidditch Practice tomorrow, and he wasn't sure how well he'd do with Hermione on his mind. _'Hermione, Hermione, Hermione! Why am I always thinking about her?'_ He stared into the fireplace, stretching his hands out to its warmth. _'I didn't do anything wrong, she's the one that had to go and get all bloody sulky on me.'_

He nodded at that fact, _'It wasn't like it was my fault or anything, telling her off like that. It's was true what I said, wasn't it?'_ The smarter half of his brain was taking over, and against his will it started thinking for him. '_Then again, Parvati did say she heard her wailing from their dorm room earlier, maybe I did say something wrong.'_

He thought back, trying to remember exactly what he said. _'Oh, Merlin…I'm a bloody git, aren't I? Hermione probably hates me now…not that she hasn't before.'_ He sighed, staring down at his hands again, picking at a few freckles strewn across his knuckles. _'I can never do anything right…'_

_Give me back my point of view  
'Cause I just can't think for you  
I can hardly hear you say  
What should I do, well you choose_

"_Oh look," A sneering voice called from behind them, "It's Potter, Weasel, and Mudblood."_

"_Shove off, Malfoy." Ron said, going a bit red at the ears. _

"_What, aren't you going to get your mudblood girlfriend after me?" Draco asked smirking while Crabbe and Goyle guffawed behind him._

_Ron lurched forward, but Harry grabbed him. "She's not my girlfriend!" He yelled, and Harry groaned. Ron wasn't having a very good day so far, so he wasn't surprised he was sticking up for himself instead of Hermione. He was surprised, however, when Ron yelled,"I don't like Hermione!", and Hermione's mouth dropped and she took off running. _

_Ron stared at Harry, his face blank. "What was that all about?"_

_Oh, look what you've done  
You've made a fool of everyone  
Oh well, it seems like such fun  
Until you lose what you had won_

Hermione rolled over and opened her eyes, pushing curly strands of brown hair behind her ears. She wiped at her eyes and cheeks, and sat upright. She took a few deep breaths to calm her breathing. _'Honestly,' _she scolded herself, '_It was nothing to get upset over. I am totally overreacting.'_

But that weird sensation was coming back to her, the one that she couldn't place; no matter how long she analyzed it. That horrible knot in her stomach that had been there since Ron had yelled those horrible words tightened…_"I don't like Hermione!"_

Had he meant it as he didn't like her like that? Had he meant it he didn't like her as a friend? She wasn't sure which was worse right now, but she knew it meant something.

She risked another glance at the photo. The picture Ron and Hermione were in separate corners, tears strewn down their faces. The picture Harry had gone elsewhere. Hermione stifled another sob. '_This isn't what was supposed to happen. I'm not supposed to be in love with Ron.'_ The thought had flown out of her head so quickly she barely had time to process it. She looked at the photo again, watching as the photo Ron and photo Hermione stole glances at each other when the other wasn't looking.

The picture Harry had returned, and was trying to push the two towards each other. Photo Hermione started forward, but photo Ron sulked away, wiping furiously at his eyes as he went. The real Hermione stared at it blankly, '_I love Ron? Is that what this means?'_ She sat up straighter, lying the picture down on her bed in front of her, '_It makes so much sense…'_

She looked down to the picture once more. The photo Hermione smiled back at her.

_Oh, look what you've done  
You've made a fool of everyone  
A fool of everyone  
A fool of everyone_

Harry sat with Ron on the couch, nodding his head every few minutes and adding in a few "Mhmm"'s and "Yeah"'s in appropriate spots. The redhead had been rambling on for at least 10 minutes now, and Harry was trying to be patient, but he really had no clue what Ron was talking about.

"You should go talk to her." He said suddenly, hoping Ron would get the hint.

Ron looked up at him, annoyance and disgust written across his face, "Who, Hermione?" Harry nodded his head. "Why should I? I didn't say anything wrong. That's just the way girls are, Harry. Ginny's like that too, they go and get all moody and cross on you sometimes, they're nutters, plain nutters."

Harry moaned inwardly. Ron was being more clueless then usual. "I think you upset her though."

Ron looked at him bewildered, "How did I upset her? I didn't say anything! All I said was, 'I don't like Hermione.' Isn't that the truth, Harry? I meant I don't like her like that." Harry almost laughed as Ron quickly added in the last sentence, his face going a bit red. It paled considerably again when he opened his mouth to continue. "You don't think she—" Harry was ready to nod, to jump up and do a dance and call his friend the biggest git in the universe and that he should have noticed it beforehand, when—" You don't think she thinks I don't like her as a friend anymore, do you?"

Harry smacked his hand on his forehead, "No, Ron. I think she definitely knows that you still like her as a friend."

"Then why did she go off and sulk about it then, huh?" Ron demanded, and gave a cross look as Harry let out a laugh, "Do you know something I don't?"

"No," Harry said, grinning mischievously and getting up to leave the common room, "I know something that everyone but apparently you two knows."

Ron gaped at him as he walked out of the room, and yelled, "Well what is that supposed to mean, huh? Bloody hell…" He folded his knees up underneath himself, and put his forehead in his hands.

'_So everyone knows something…about me and Hermione?'_ He scratched his head, '_What could that be?'_ Maybe it was Ginny going around telling people that Hermione had kissed him on the cheek during 5th year. _'But that's not that big of a deal. And I know it already, and so does Hermione…'_ He stretched his long arms out in front of him, '_Maybe it was some sort of joke they're planning on pulling on us. But that doesn't make sense, why would Harry tell me now?'_ He sighed, grabbing a pillow on the couch and stuffing it under his head, _'Maybe he was trying to cheer me up...'_

He closed his eyes, '_Honestly, I don't know why Hermione had to get all in a rut over this. I really didn't say anything to make her cry. All I said was that I didn't like her. Even though I do like her.—wait…'_

He opened his eyes suddenly, bolting upright. '_Where did that thought come from?'_ He asked himself, '_I did not just think that! I do not like Hermione. Not like that.'_ He laid his head back down on the pillow, and closed his eyes again, trying to bump the thought out of his head.

'_Of course I don't like Hermione like that. Why would I like her like that? Okay, so maybe I like her a little bit. Just a little bit, but not enough to say I love her or anything. Even though I kind of do.'_

"Bloody hell!" Ron yelled, falling off the couch in a heap, "I do not love Hermione!"

'_But I do.'_ Ron thought to himself, '_I do love Hermione.'_

Ron paused for a minute, sitting on the floor panting. "I love Hermione?" He asked himself out loud. "I love Hermione!" He jumped up off the floor, and threw a freckled fist into the air, "I love Hermione! Bloody hell, I love Hermione!"

He ran out of the Common Room, bumping into Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas who were heading to the dorms. He knocked Seamus over, but kept running, only yelling, "I love Hermione!" behind him.

He ran into the library to find Harry, and, after finding him, screamed, "I love Hermione, Harry!" several times to him before Harry finally pushed him into a chair and demanded he shut his mouth.

"Ron, everyone already knows you love her." Harry said, and sighed at the confused expression on his friend's face. "It really isn't that hard to figure out. You were so jealous of Krum in 4th year…"

"I was not jealous of Vicky." Ron sulked, crossing his arms.

"…Hermione was mad when you didn't ask her to the dance…"

"Harry, I didn't realize I _could _ask her! I thought asking her would be like asking you, she's my other best friend, after all…"

"…And then, of course, the whole Lavender thing…"

"Oh, Merlin, don't even remind me of her." Ron rolled his eyes.

"Everyone knows Ron, everyone. Plus, Ginny's been going on to everyone who'll listen about that one dream you had…"

Ron's face flushed so red that even his freckles disappeared, "I'll kill her! She said she wouldn't tell anyone!"

"The point is, mate, everyone knows. So just go tell Hermione now!"

"I can't." Ron sighed, staring down at his folded hands.

Harry gave him a puzzled look, "Why can't you? You just ran through the school screaming it, and you can't say it to her?"

"She hates me now, Harry! I was a huge prat! I can't just go tell her, 'Hermione, I love you.' And expect her to jump into my arms and start snogging me senseless…"

"Ron, she doesn't hate you." Harry interrupted, "She's just upset. Just go talk to her."

Ron groaned, leaning back in his seat. He laid his face on the table and put his hands over his head. Peeking out through his fingers he whispered, "Do I have to?"

Harry laughed, standing up to push his reluctant friend out of his seat and towards the door. "Yes, and I mean really _tell _her. Don't just say you're sorry!" He grinned at the morose face his friend was pulling at him, and pushed him the rest of the way out the door, "Good luck!"

_Take my photo off the wall  
If it just won't sing for you  
'Cause all that's left has gone away  
And there's nothing there for you to do_

Ron stood in front of the stairs to the girl's dorm, clearing his throat loudly. Parvati had just come out of the girl's room, and was staring at him.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you, Ron, she might try and hex you or something. She nearly hexed me when I tried to give her a hug. She's in a right state, she is."

Ron sighed, "Do you reckon she'd come down here and talk to me?"

"Yes." A small voice said as Hermione came through the door, her eyes red and puffy and her hair frizzing, "I suppose so."

Parvati took it as her chance to run, and did so. Hermione walked down the stairs until she was directly in front of Ron, and stared at him. "Well? Have you got something to say?"

"Uh…" Ron fumbled for the words, but could not seem to find any. "Hey?"

Hermione's eyes blazed, "You are such a prat, Ronald! You are a selfish git, and you don't care about me or anyone else! Here I thought you'd come to apolo—"

"Hermione, I think I love you."

"—gize, and I'd just only now…what?" Hermione was suddenly at loss for words, "What did you say?"

Ron felt red creeping up his neck and his ears, and forced himself to remain calm. "I said, I…think I love you."

Hermione stepped closer to him, pushing her hair behind her ears as if to check she had heard him correctly. "You—"

"Yeah. Harry said everyone knows, but I guess it just took me some time to figure out. I'm sorry it took so long, and I reckon you hate me now, but…"

"I don't hate you, Ron." Hermione replied, her voice seeming very small. "On the contrary, I guess I sort of…love you too."

_Oh, look what you've done  
You've made a fool of everyone  
Oh well, it seems like such fun  
Until you lose what you had won_

Ron looked quite surprised to say the least. Hermione had to laugh, he really was clueless sometimes. "You—me---too?"

"Yes, I me you too." Hermione laughed, making Ron laugh too. Soon enough they were both staring at each other uncertainly and still laughing, not quite knowing what to do with themselves.

"So, uh…I guess this means…we…like each other." Ron said stupidly, trying to clam his quavering voice.

Hermione smiled and shook her head at him, "I suppose it does."

"I'm sorry I've been so stupid." Ron said sheepishly, hanging his head to stare at his feet uncomfortably.

"It's alright." Hermione said, coming even closer. "If you weren't such a prat sometimes I don't think I'd like you as much."

Ron's face brightened up, and gladly returned the kiss Hermione pressed upon his lips.

_Oh, look what you've done  
You've made a fool of everyone  
A fool of everyone  
A fool of everyone_


End file.
